Journey to the Capital of Russian South

Welcome to Russia, welcome to our wonderful ship Nikolay Zharkov! After a brief check-in, you’ll meet the ship’s crew at a delightful cocktail reception – a relaxing way to begin your adventure after a day’s travel.

This jewel of the Golden Ring of Russia dates back to 937 AD, and so is one of the nation’s oldest cities. Its gem-like architecture includes the gold and blue-domed Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood. This is the place to savour traditional Russian life and walk inside the ancient Kremlin.

Yaroslavl is the unofficial capital of the Golden Ring of Russia and the oldest city on the Volga with a history of more than 1000 years. Many attractions are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is famous for examples of ancient Russian architecture, magnificent landscapes of the Volga and unique museums. The famous Russian poet N. A. Nekrasov spent his childhood in Yaroslavl. Today Yaroslavl is a large industrial center.

Gorodets, located on the Cyril Mountains, was founded in 1152 by Yuri Dolgorukiy. The old part of Gorodets is located on Prince's Hill, from where you can admire the panorama of the Gorky hydroelectric complex and the reservoir. Opposite Gorodets, you can see a young city of the Volga - Zavolzhye. A walk through the old streets will leave an unforgettable impression. They are given a special charm by houses decorated with magnificent deaf carvings. One of these streets - Rubleva street - retained the look of the 19th century.

Nizhny Novgorod is called the “Volga capital”. The city was founded in 1221 as a fortress on the right bank of the Volga river at the place where it merged with the Oka river. The city is rich in architectural monuments. This is the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, on the territory of which there is the Archangel Cathedral, the existing Annunciation and Pechersky Monasteries, the Christmas Church, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and many other monuments. The city is a large industrial, cultural and transport center of the Middle Volga.

Cheboksary - the capital of the Republic of Chuvashia, is located on the right bank of the Volga river. Over the five-hundred-year history, the city has seen the rebels of Ivan Bolotnikov, the freemen of Stepan Razin, and the squads of Emelyan Pugachev. The Vvedensky Cathedral, two churches of the Troika Monastery, the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God are preserved in the old part of the city. Monuments of architecture are organically combined with the modern enbankment, decorated with a lattice with a national ornament.

Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan with a thousand-year history. The appearance of the city is determined by a mixture of Russian and eastern colors. The tops of the old churches, the belfry towers and the slender needles of the minarets are high above the modern buildings. For more than four centuries, Kazan has surrounded the white stone walls of the Kremlin, a UNESCO monument. The Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Mardzhani Mosque (XVIII century) and the Azimov Mosque (XIX century) are unique and inimitable; they are worth seeing.

Samara is one of the most beautiful, ancient cities of the Middle Volga region. In Soviet times, it was called Kuibyshev, and during the war it was the reserve capital of the USSR. Until 1991, Kuibyshev was of great strategic importance and was closed to foreigners. Rockets were designed here and the aviation industry was developed. Zhiguli Uplands, beautiful monasteries and historical museums - there is something to see. And it was precisely in Samara where the accordion was invented, where a wonderful beer is brewed, lovers of bard songs come here annually to the Grushinsky festival.

On the right bank of the Volga lies the ancient Russian city of Saratov Surrounded by three high mountains. The city was founded as a watch fortress in 1590, initially on the left bank of the Volga river. Later, the fortress was destroyed, and the construction of the new Saratov began in 1674, this time on the right bank of the Volga river, near the Sokolovaya Mountain.

Hero City, located in the lower reaches of the Volga on its western shore. The Battle of Stalingrad took place here, lasting 200 days and nights, forever changing the course of the World War II. In memory of the fierce battles on the Mamaev Kurgan, the monument “Motherland is Calling!” And the monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Stalingrad Battle” were erected. Volgograd is also called "the port of five seas", since the Volga-Don canal connects 3 southern seas (Azov, Caspian, Black sea) with 2 northern (Baltic, Northern sea).

It is a village in the Kalachevsky district of the Volgograd region which is located on the northern shore of the Karpovskoye reservoir.

Starocherkasskaya stanitsa is the capital of the Don Cossacks. There is no more interesting place on the Don territory connected with the history of the Don Cossacks than this stanitsa. It was already a Cossack town in 1570, and half a century later Cherkassk (as this town was called) became the capital of the Don Cossacks.

Taganrog roots are well established in antiquity – Herodotus mentioned the town in his Histories – and it went on to have a prestigious naval military association. It is famed today as the birthplace of Anton Chekhov, but the author isn’t the only celebrity associated with Taganrog.

We hope you’ve had a wonderful journey on board with us, and we hope to see you again soon!